West Hartford High Schools To Tackle Intolerance Issues

The rivalry between Hall and Conard high schools resulted in derogatory comments being hurled from the sidelines at a soccer game recently, according to a letter sent to parents.

The rivalry between Hall and Conard high schools resulted in derogatory comments being hurled from the sidelines at a soccer game recently, according to a letter sent to parents. (Bettina Hansen, Hartford Courant)

West Hartford high school students say they will focus on addressing intolerance

WEST HARTFORD — Students from both Conard and Hall high schools told the school board Tuesday that they're serious about addressing recent incidents of racial and religious intolerance.

Students at a soccer game between the two schools hurled insults at each other earlier in this month, and a few days later, on Oct. 6, a swastika was found drawn on a wall at Hall High School. While rumors have been circulated about the specific nature of the soccer game chants, community members have reported that the insults were racially charged and anti-Semitic.

Superintendent Thomas Moore said that while administrators have been forgiving of students, "that doesn't mean any of us aren't disappointed."

The students who spoke at the school board meeting Tuesday said little about the incidents, and the discussion focused instead mainly on both schools' use of Native American mascots and imagery.

Conard seniors representing The Tribe, a school-sponsored activity group that acts as a cheering section for sports teams, said they're working to understand the implications of their group's name and the school's chieftain mascot.

Student Hunter Dean said The Tribe is seeking "a tribe council so we could be more educated on what is offensive to them, as opposed to what is offensive to the general public or what the general public may think is offensive."

While many sports teams and organizations have dropped the use of Native American mascots in recent years, numerous local and professional sports teams still use such mascots, including the Washington Redskins, whose owner Daniel Snyder has drawn criticism for his defense of the mascot.

Hall High School dropped the use of its warrior mascot but kept the team name, and while the school's administration tried to quash The Reservation cheering student group, the group has endured but is now technically unaffiliated with the school, according to Hall student leader Jacob Cantor.

"What I've come to realize at this point, the name, The Reservation, is extremely offensive," Cantor said.

Cantor said the student association has condemned the continued use of the name, but has received "a bit of pushback" from students.

Conard student Brendan Dakin said students are working to make amends for any insults made during sideline chants or through the use of names like The Tribe.

"The last thing we want to do as an organization is to make West Hartford, or Conard, look bad," said Dakin.

Trevaughn Allison said that, "We're just children. We all make mistakes at times," and The Tribe is establishing clear cheering guidelines.

Matt Baisden said The Tribe was started three years ago by a small group of senior boys, and has "grown to one of the most inclusive groups in our school."

"We believe that the tribe is very important," said Abhimanyu Natarajan.

Genesis Rodriguez, a volleyball player, said that "positivity is the key" and The Tribe makes students, "want to play better, you want to play for them," added Brian Baker.

Students, board of education members, and Moore said that both school communities plan to work together in the coming months to educate students on issues of tolerance and appropriate behavior.

Board of Education Chairman Bruce Putterman said that parents and community members who have concerns should direct them to board members, not school administrators.

When students were finished speaking at the meeting, Yifrah Kaminer, a parent of a Hall High School student, said he was not satisfied with the "sterile" discussions.

"I can't believe what is happening here," Kaminer said. "I heard only the issue about The Tribe."

Kaminer said his own children have experienced anti-Semitism at school, and "I am very disturbed, I am very angry ... I do not send my kids to be harassed, I do not send my kids to be traumatized," Kaminer said.

A Jewish Israeli immigrant, Kaminer said he's disturbed by the reports that students chanting at the soccer game made anti-Semitic comments and references to concentration camps, and criticized the students for failing to address those issues directly in their remarks.

"There was no substance, there was no insight," Kaminer said.

He called on school officials to conduct a student survey within the next 30 days to gauge sensitivity toward various religious, ethnic, and gender identities and determine whether students feel safe.